Rants, Raves & Really?!?

REALLY: Three juveniles got busted for throwing homemade explosive devices at a Newnan home. Fortunately, no one was injured. Kids, this is how you lose fingers, or worse. There’s a lot of grass along the roadways that needs mowing - use one of those old style ones without an engine.

RAVE: Grantville City Council met and … wait for it … wait for it … ACTUALLY got something done. And they even congratulated each other for, you know, doing something. We all like to poke fun at Grantville’s elective body’s theatrics, but we are also willing to say good job when it is deserved.

RAVE: To unsung volunteer Joann Collins, who has spent her own money buying plants and supplies to spruce up Tommy Thompson Senior Center. She’s out there several days a week planting away. Thanks to you and all the other unsung volunteers who keep Newnan beautiful.

RANT: Financial credit card fraud is reaching epidemic proportions. The latest involves a suspect caught with stolen credit cards, which authorities believe were used to purchase more than $100,000 in gift cards. Criminals think it’s a victimless crime, that the “banks” will cover the costs. Truth is, we all end up paying for these types of crimes. Let’s use the gift cards to send the guy on a one-way ticket to North Korea.

RAVE: To the Newnan Rotary Club for yet another great fireworks show. And kudos for them taking on Mother Nature and not canceling it completely because of the deluge on the Fourth, but changing the date so everyone could still enjoy the show.

RANT/RAVE: Georgia Power got approval to shut down five old coal units at Plant Yates and convert two others to natural gas. We hate to see the plant lose production and employees, but getting rid of the old units will help the environment, and Georgia Power says layoffs will be through attrition and relocation of employees.

RAVE: Way to go, students. The latest test results show Coweta County elementary and middle-school students improved their score on the CRCT (which we all hate to spell out, anyway). In fact, more students exceeded the standard than last year, and our county’s students excelled at a higher rate than the state of Georgia as a whole. Another reason to live here.

RAVE: After 13 years, the Brown’s Mill Battlefield Historic Site will be opening later this month. It was the location of a major cavalry battle during the War Between the States, the Civil War or the War of Northern Aggression, whichever you prefer. Congrats to all the volunteers who put so much effort into making this a reality.

RANT/RAVE: Rant to all the smokers who continue to dump their butts on the streets, especially around downtown Newnan. And kudos to the city’s Keep Newnan Beautiful campaign for installing four ash receptacles around the downtown square. Maybe we should be a little more aggressive on littering fines in the area.